


The Joy of Rediscovering You

by Ikira



Series: Holy Shattrimony [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (because Matt hasn't seen her in a while and hasn't been updated), Basically everyone wanted a reunion scene so here you go i live to serve, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hand Jobs, Just let Shiro and Matt be happy for once, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Porn in the last chapter (feel free to skip if that's not your thing), Reunions, Season 2 spoilers, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Will totally be jossed by canon eventually, but screw it for now I'm having fun, finally things are happy...ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-20 02:13:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9470849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ikira/pseuds/Ikira
Summary: The Black Lion has already lost one of her paladins before, she refuses to lose another. So when Shiro is in danger after the final battle against Zarkon, she does the only thing she can think of to save his life.She sends him away. As far away from the danger as she can.Luckily, though, the Black Lion hasincredibleaim, because she manages to land Shiro practically square in the lap of the one person he's been dying to see for so long now...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A million years later, here it is! The latest part of the Married Shatt series! I had so many people requesting a reunion scene, and after the finale of Season 2, my brain FINALLY came up with something. I'm so sorry for the long wait (if anyone was actually still waiting) but I hope you still enjoy this part. Thank you to **sexythewalkingcatfish** for once again being an excellent beta and motivator.
> 
> I may write more of this series in the future, but it'll depend on if I have any other ideas. Also, it'll depend on what Season 3 has to say for itself, because I'm SURE it's going to be wild. I can't wait.
> 
> P.S. The second chapter is basically just a PWP sex scene. Feel free to skip it if you're in this more for the warm fuzzies, nothing plot-significant happens. It's just sexy times >:)

_Danger_ , her mind whispered to her over and over. _Danger. Pain_.

Her mind was in turmoil. Her new paladin faced the old, the two clashing like twin suns crashing against each other, sending flares of power out into space. Even though she had made her choice, even though her bond with her new paladin was stronger than her old bond had ever been, she still could feel her old paladin’s mind seeking her out, the former ties reaching out to her like a siren call. _Danger_ , her mind repeatedly warned her. But her paladin continued to fight, and therefore so would she.

But then, as the strange mechanical beast that fought them seized their head and sent crackling energy swarming over her form and into her paladin’s body, the whispers turned to screams. _Danger! Danger!_ Her consciousness was consumed with anxiety as their fight grew more dire. Even as she felt her new paladin _finally_ using his Bayard, even as the power of Voltron coursed through them and gave them the strength to cut the mechanical beast in half, she could not shake her fear.

She had lost one paladin already. She refused to lose another.

And so, when the beast suddenly exploded, sending a shockwave of energy rippling through space and tearing the body of Voltron apart, the Black Lion did the only thing she could. The rest of her companions floated aimlessly through space, their strength decimated by that final blast. They would not wake fast enough to rescue her paladin. And she could _feel_ the damage to her systems that the earlier lightning attack had caused, shutting down even the critical life support systems. Her cockpit would soon lose all power, and her paladin would suffocate or freeze. She was no longer a safe space for him, but a tomb.

She _must_ save her paladin.

Harnessing what little strength she had left, she gathered her energy, surrounding her paladin inside a warm core. She had never done anything like this before, but she was ancient and wise, and she had seen a great many things throughout her years. She could do this. She _would_ do this. She wrapped the energy tighter around her paladin, making sure there were no leaks. And then, she _pushed_ , and the space around her momentarily warped and folded like a piece of inky black fabric.

 _Be safe, my paladin_ , she murmured into his unconscious mind. _Be safe, far from here. I will find you again._

And then there was a flash as the cocoon of energy crackled, catching on the edges of the folded spacetime and _tugging_ , and when the light cleared her paladin was gone, her cockpit empty.

 _Be safe_ , she whispered once more before her energy reserves were completely depleted, and her glowing eyes went dark.

 

~☆~

 

The first thing Shiro was aware of was the cold. He could feel it sinking into him, all the way down to his bones. He could barely feel his own body, he was so numb with the cold, which he was pretty sure was a bad thing, but he couldn’t really work up the energy to feel scared. He couldn’t really work up the energy to do much of _anything_. Even opening his eyes felt like a monumental task.

The longer he struggled to wake up, though, the more his senses started to return. At first it felt like he was floating, with nothing around him to support him. Space? Was he in space? That couldn’t be good.

But then, after what could have been anywhere from seconds to hours, he suddenly thought he could vaguely feel pressure around him, like hands grabbing at his body. The numbness changed to pins and needles as something painfully warm was wrapped around him – a blanket? The sound of his own shallow breathing echoing in his ears gave way with a hiss as someone removed his helmet, and then for a moment he thought he heard the murmur of voices, sounding like they were underwater a million miles away. But then the darkness overtook his mind again and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

The next time he woke, he was a little bit more aware of his body. Whatever had been wrapped around him had warmed him to the point that he could feel that his armor had been removed, and he was resting on some sort of soft surface. And the voices from before were back, much louder now, and growing slowly more coherent. But that wasn’t what caught Shiro’s attention. It was that one of the voices sounded _familiar_ , somehow.

“…my way! I _need_ to see him!” the familiar voice shouted, sounding absolutely frantic.

“Plea…going to hur…self!” another voice said. This one Shiro didn’t recognize, but he could hear that the person sounded very concerned. “…ou can’t…yet!”

“But he….my _husband_ ,” the familiar voice cried. “Let me see…!”

Shiro’s ears kept tuning in and out to the conversation like a radio with bad reception, but he could have sworn he’d heard the word ‘husband’. For some reason that word made his heart start to beat like a jackhammer, his pulse thrumming through his veins. Husband? His mind was still groggy, swimming in a thick fog as he struggled to awaken, but he knew that word was significant to him. He was…married? Wasn’t he? But when…?

Dredging up the memories was like pulling teeth, his head feeling like it was stuffed full of cotton balls, but it was _important_. He _needed_ to remember this. When had he… _who_ had he…?

And then, swimming up from the depths of his mind, came a single image. Messy red hair, a smattering of freckles across pale cheeks, amber eyes wide with fear but determination as they huddled in the alien prison together. A hand clasped tightly in his own, a head resting against his shoulder. And an overwhelming feeling of _love_ warming his heart.

“Matt,” Shiro breathed, his eyes fluttering open.

The world was a bright blur to him, stinging and painful. Tears leaked out and ran down his cheeks, but he forced himself to blink repeatedly, trying to clear his vision. Around him, he heard several people shushing each other, the swarm of activity he had only been partially aware of coming to a halt as he started to move. And then there was someone hovering above him, trembling hands reaching towards his face but not touching. Not yet.

Shiro still couldn’t see clearly, but he knew, he _knew_ who it was. More tears streamed down his face, but this time they were of joy and relief rather than pain. “Matt,” he whispered again, his voice cracking.

“Shiro,” Matt murmured, sounding like he was on the verge of crying. “Oh my god, Shiro. What _happened_ to you?” His hands were still centimeters from Shiro’s skin, either unable or unwilling to make contact.

Shiro tried to answer, he really did, but even opening his eyes for this long seemed to have exhausted him. He only had the energy to turn his head, closing that final distance to push his cheek into Matt’s hand and lean into the contact. And then he slept once more.

The next time he woke up, he finally felt almost human again. His eyes lifted open without much struggle, and he saw that the room was dark now, only lit by a dim light somewhere just out of sight behind his head. His body still ached, but he felt less like he was on the verge of death, and more like he had just overdone it in training again.

He abruptly became aware of the sound of soft snoring near his side, and he struggled to turn towards the noise. Eventually he looked down to find a tuft of copper hair resting against his chest, an arm slung across his waist to grasp his human hand from across the bed. Matt was slumped over, half falling out of the chair at Shiro’s bedside, but he seemed to be completely dead to the world, sleeping deeply.

“He’s been here since we brought you in,” someone suddenly spoke. If Shiro had any more energy in his body, he might have jumped, but as it was he was just too tired. Instead he looked down towards the foot of the bed. He hadn’t noticed the figure before, too busy looking down at Matt resting against him, but now he could see the person standing in the shadowed corner, holding what looked like a cross between a tablet, a clipboard, and some kind of kitchen utensil. Whatever it was, it was definitely not Altean tech.

The person was also definitely not Altean. Or human, or any other species that Shiro had come across. They stood impossibly tall, their head nearly brushing the ceiling of the small room and making it seem even more cramped. There was something about their impossibly narrow waist, the two sets of arms with one more joint than they should have had, and the jagged planes of the alien’s body that made Shiro’s brain scream that this being should not be able to exist. It just looked _wrong_ to his tired eyes, like an Escher painting come to life. But when the alien looked up, their eyes seemed to sparkle fondly, and the edges of their tiny mouth quirked up like they were smiling, and Shiro felt himself relax the tiniest bit.

“W-what was that?” Shiro choked out, his voice sounding weak and reedy even to his own ears.

“Young M’aatew,” the alien clarified, pointing with one crooked finger towards Matt’s sleeping form. “When he saw what our scouts had found floating in space, he immediately rushed down here and demanded to see you. I tried to stop him, to warn him that you were too weak for visitors, but he was quite insistent. I had no idea he even had a mate.”

The alien approached, and as they came around the bedside, Shiro could see that their lower half was one long tail of muscle, like a snake. They carefully curled their tail around themself, and then the alien took a seat on the folded coils as casually as you please, folding their multiple hands in their lap. “We, of course, would never deny someone’s desire to see their mate, so we let him in. It became very helpful, as none of my team has much experience with your species’ biology. You were very lucky. I’m not even sure what you were doing out there, but it was a good thing our scouts were in the area. You must have some sort of higher power watching over you.” The alien shook their head ruefully.

“You were on the brink of death after you were found floating in space,” they continued to tell him. “But we found you in time, and your mate was here to help us stabilize you; bring you back. He saved your life.”

Shiro looked down at the top of Matt’s head, and couldn’t help but chuckle wetly. “Of course he did,” Shiro wheezed. Then, he looked back up at the alien. “I’m sorry, um…”

He trailed off, realizing he had no idea what to call this alien. Doctor? He seemed to be in an infirmary of some sort, and this alien mentioned stabilizing him, but he wasn’t sure if that was the right term. Thankfully, however, the alien seemed to catch on to what he was trying to ask, because they bowed their head and gave him another smile.

“I am L’oft,” the alien introduced themself, “the head of the healers for this branch of the resistance.”

“Nice to meet you, L-L’oft. And thank you for saving my life,” Shiro said gratefully, doing his best to pronounce L’oft’s name and probably mangling it horribly. At least the universal translator still seemed to be working, though he wasn’t sure exactly how, considering his armor was gone and he was nowhere near the Castle of Lions or the Black Lion. Maybe it had a wearing-off period.

L’oft waved a hand, brushing off Shiro’s thanks like it was nothing. “There is no need to thank me, human. It is my duty as a healer to care for the sick and wounded. More importantly, you are the mate of M’aatew,” they said, as if this was something significant.

Shiro gave L’oft a questioning look. However, instead of clarifying that odd statement, they instead reached forward and placed a hand on Matt’s shoulder, giving it a gentle but firm shake. “M’aatew,” L’oft called. “Your mate awakens.”

“Hmmm…wha?” Matt groaned, slowly lifting his head and blinking blearily around the room. There were red marks all over his face from where he had been resting his head against the folds in the sheets, and his hair was sticking up funny on one side, but he was still one of the most beautiful sights Shiro had ever seen. He was _alive_. He was alive and _right there_. “What’s going on? Is Shiro…”

Matt’s eyes drifted up towards Shiro’s face, and immediately the sleepiness vanished from his expression when he saw Shiro looking back at him. “Shiro!”

“Hey, Matt,” Shiro greeted him tiredly, giving him a weak smile.

“I’ll leave you two to your reunion,” L’oft said quietly, and then they slithered out of the room, shutting the room’s automatic door behind them with a soft whoosh. Shiro was barely aware of their exit, too busy looking Matt over. Matt, for his part, seemed to be doing the same, his eyes darting over Shiro’s features.

What was most surprising was how much Matt _hadn’t_ changed. His hair was longer, of course, the ends choppy like he had tried to cut it himself. There was a scar across his forehead that hadn’t been there before, but it was already faded and clearly old. And his face was thinner than when they’d been on Earth, though fuller than when they’d been prisoners. But it was still _Matt_ , still the same familiar face that Shiro had been dreaming about for months.

“God, Matt,” Shiro whispered into the quiet room, afraid to break the charged atmosphere that had fallen over them. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Same,” Matt agreed, sniffling a little. He rubbed at his eyes with his long sleeve, before giving Shiro a blinding grin. “It is _so good_ to see you. I’ve missed you so much. Man, I…I thought you were _dead_.”

“I’m not though, and I’ve missed you too.” Shiro reached up, struggling to lift his weakened arm so that he could press his palm against Matt’s face. He stroked his thumb along Matt’s cheek, wishing that his Galra hand had as much feeling as his human hand. It just wasn’t the same. “ _God_ I’ve missed you.”

Matt pulled back from the metallic hand, eyeing it with a mix of wonder and horror. “What _happened_ to you?” he asked, reaching out tentatively to hold Shiro’s Galra arm in his hands, stroking the interlocking metal plates with his fingertips. “What is this?”

“I have so much to tell you,” Shiro said, and then the dryness at the back of his throat overcame him, and he started hacking and coughing. Matt quickly let go of his hand to grab something off of a table next to Shiro’s bed, and Shiro tried to smile when he recognized a water pouch much like the ones Coran had often given them during training. He gratefully took a long sip from the straw as Matt held the pouch up for him.

Only when his thirst had finally been quenched did he pull away. Matt placed the nearly-empty pouch back onto the table, and then shifted his chair closer. He rested a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, leaning in close.

“Now,” he said, giving Shiro a stern look. “Tell me everything.”

And so he did.

 

~☆~

 

“Wow,” Matt sighed, leaning back heavily into his chair. His fingertips still rested against Shiro’s wrist though, almost thoughtlessly looking for constant contact. “That’s…quite a story. I’ve heard the rumors about Voltron and the Galra resistance, of course, but I thought that’s all they were; rumors. I can’t believe you’re _actually_ a paladin of Voltron. I can’t believe _Katie_ is a paladin of Voltron.”

Shiro winced. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Matt. I know you probably hate the idea of her being in danger like this.”

Matt fixed him with a flat stare. “Shiro. I hate the idea of _you_ in danger like this. Don’t say that like you think I’ll only be worried about her.”

“Oh. Uh, yeah. Right.” Shiro coughed awkwardly, ducking his head to hide his pleased smile. Was it wrong of him to be glad that Matt was worried about him? Probably, but right now he was too touched to care. “Good point.”

“Besides,” Matt sighed again. “There’s not much I can do about it, is there? She’s here, she’s fighting Zarkon, and from the sounds of it she’s doing an amazing job. I’m worried about her, of course, but I’m also really proud of her, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Shiro agreed, relaxing more against the pillows. “You should be. She’s really smart.”

“Of course she is,” Matt scoffed and rolled his eyes, making Shiro laugh. “She’s a genius. Half of the stories you just told me don’t hold a candle to the crazy stuff she got up to when we were kids.”

“True,” Shiro couldn’t help but concede, remembering some of the stories both Matt and Sam had shared about the youngest Holt. But then, he focused back on Matt. “But what about you? What happened to you after I left you behind in the ring? After I…after I hurt you?”

His eyes flicked down towards Matt’s leg, hidden from sight by the edge of the bed. Matt must have caught him looking, though, because he shifted, bringing his legs into view by resting them on the edge of the bed.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Matt quickly reassured him. “The wound bled a lot, and it…it didn’t heal perfectly, but…” He lifted the leg of his pants, revealing a long expanse of skin that was marred by a jagged red mark snaking cruelly up the whole length of his calf. Unlike the scar on Matt’s forehead, this scar looked barely healed, the edges still torn and raised.

Shiro breathed out a curse, his eyes wide. “Oh god.”

Matt quickly dropped the pant leg back down, hiding the scar from view. “Honestly, it looks worse than it is,” he insisted, shrugging one shoulder. “It aches sometimes, and I can’t run as well as I used to, but L’oft and the other healers took a look at it when I was brought to the resistance, and they said it was fine. Besides, I’d rather have this thing than be dead. You saved me, Shiro.”

“I _hurt_ you,” Shiro spat in self-disgust, turning away in shame. But Matt refused to let him look away, reaching over and tilting Shiro’s head back towards him with a gentle hand on his chin.

“Shiro, really. I’m okay.” He smiled at Shiro warmly, letting his hand fall to Shiro’s shoulder. “I promise.”

Shiro still felt guilt sitting like a cold stone in the base of his stomach, but he was eager to change the subject, so he pushed all thoughts of Matt’s wound to the back of his mind, and focused back on Matt’s face. “Fine. But I still want to know what happened after we got separated.”

Matt hummed thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling as he gathered his thoughts. “Not much to tell,” he said eventually. “At least, my story isn’t nearly as exciting as yours. After you went into the ring, those guards dragged me off to another cell. They had someone in strange robes look at the wound, but they mostly left me alone. Eventually the rest of the aliens that had been brought to the ring with us were tossed into the cell with me, but…but you weren’t with them.” Matt paused for a moment, hanging his head and hiding behind his bangs as he struggled to keep his voice even. Shiro reached out and took his hand, giving it a little squeeze as reassurance. He silently waited patiently for Matt to continue.

After a few seconds, Matt took a couple of steadying breaths, and then straightened up once more. His eyes looked suspiciously wet, but Shiro didn’t comment, just let Matt gather himself. “After that, we were moved around a lot,” Matt told him. “I was separated from the other slaves, and I eventually ended up on a Galra ship, bound for some kind of work camp, I think. But that was when the resistance showed up.”

Matt’s face broke into a small smile as he recalled his rescue. “They had targeted the ship because it was more cargo vessel than battleship, and they needed supplies. They started blasting open the cell doors when they realized that the “cargo” on board was mostly slaves, and they told us to run. I was scared, and confused, but I knew they weren’t the Galra and I figured I had nothing else to lose, so I ran. They helped me escape, and eventually I ended up here, at this resistance base. Now I help out here and there, mostly doing programing or engineering, coming up with new tech and trying to support the fight against the Galra in any way I can. It’s not much, but I’m doing my best.”

“I’m sure you’re being too modest,” Shiro insisted. He remembered what Matt could do if he was bored and left alone too long with a screwdriver and an old toaster. There was no telling what he could do when he got his hands on advanced alien technology. He knew that Pidge was supposed to be the prodigy of the Holt family, but Matt was no slouch in the brains department himself. He briefly wondered what would have happened if Matt had been there with him when they’d been planning their final attack on Zarkon, and then he pictured what would have happened if Slav and Matt had teamed up and he quickly cut off that train of thought before he could freak himself out too much. The two of them would have either loved each other or _hated_ each other. “L’oft seemed to like you,” Shiro mentioned.

“L’oft likes everyone,” Matt grumbled.

“Well, I’m just glad you’re okay,” Shiro said. “Pidge – Katie and I were really worried about you.” Then he hesitated, wanting to ask but at the same time realizing that he might not want to know the answer. He forced himself to speak. “Um, your…your dad?”

Matt’s expression dropped. “No idea,” he confessed.

“Oh,” Shiro said sadly, and the two of them lapsed into silence for a moment.

Eventually, though, Shiro shifted, feeling his eyelids starting to grow heavy again. But there was something else he wanted to ask, before he fell asleep again. “Matt?”

“Yes, Shiro?”

“L’oft – uh, they, um. They called me your…mate?” Shiro mentioned, feeling slightly nervous for some reason. He could feel his face growing warm. “Did I hear that right?”

“O-oh,” Matt stuttered, blushing as well. “Y-yes, well. When I tried to get in to see you, they didn’t want to let me in, so I told them you were my…husband.”

“Right, I think I remember that,” Shiro said slowly, the fuzzy memories dancing around his head.

“Because…you are, right?” Matt glanced at Shiro shyly. “That…weird alien wedding counted, right? I mean, I know it was kind of an accident, and I know it was kind of messy and gross and not very nice and all that, but I, uh, I _wanted_ it to count.”

“Me too,” Shiro admitted. “I want it to count too.”

“So…so we _are_ married?” Matt asked tentatively, something like hope growing in his eyes.

“If not, we’re at least engaged,” Shiro offered, trying his best to keep up a cool attitude even though his insides kind of felt like mush. But then he realized how presumptive that might have sounded, and he immediately backpedalled. “That is! If you want us to be! We don’t have to be engaged if you don’t want, we can be whatever you want!”

“Actually, being engaged sounds pretty nice,” Matt said slowly, and even though he was blushing bright red, he still gave Shiro a bright smile. It was like basking in sunlight, and Shiro’s aching body seemed to melt a little. “After all, being married after we haven’t even really dated seems a bit…much.”

“Yeah.  _Wow_ we are going about this backwards, aren’t we? First we’re married, then we’re engaged, and we still have to actually go on a date!” Shiro laughed, and then abruptly stopped when it sent a sharp twinge of pain through his ribs. “Ow.”

“Careful,” Matt admonished him gently.

“Sorry,” Shiro said sheepishly, but he was cut off from saying more when his jaw cracked open with a huge yawn.

“Someone’s getting tired,” Matt teased him with a fond smile.

“Heh, yeah. Maybe a little,” Shiro confessed. He looked up at Matt. “Are you going to stay? If you are, you should sleep on the bed. There’s no way that chair is comfortable.”

But Matt merely shook his head. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, and then I have to get back to work. I was in the middle of a project when they found you, and I really can’t afford to let it wait any longer.”

“You need to sleep too,” Shiro pointed out reproachfully. But there wasn’t much force behind his words. He was already starting to slip under, the siren call of sleep drawing him in.

“I will, don’t worry. Remember, Shiro, I’ve stayed up _way_ longer than this back when we had finals. I’ll be fine.”

Shiro hummed in agreement, but didn’t have the energy to say much more.

“Sleep, Shiro. I’ll be here when you wake up,” Matt’s voice lulled him, letting him drift further and further until he was almost asleep.

Just before he faded completely, he felt a press of lips against his forehead. It sparked a faint memory of them doing the same in reverse once, a lifetime ago, back in that dark cell where this had first all come to pass. Although the memory was somewhat melancholy, Shiro still felt himself falling asleep with a smile on his face.

 

~☆~

 

It took Shiro days to finally recover enough to even get out of bed, but by that time he felt like he’d been introduced to half of the resistance. L’oft was his second most common visitor, after Matt of course, but the strange alien had an entire revolving team of healers that would come in to assist with whatever tasks were needed. The second day after he woke up fully, Matt also introduced Shiro to the leader of their resistance cell, a bulky alien that looked like some sort of mythical ogre. The leader welcomed Shiro to the resistance, telling Shiro that as a paladin of Voltron and a fellow warrior in the fight against Zarkon, that he was welcome here. Shiro thanked the leader for his hospitality, and offered to help in any way he could.

After the leader left, Matt stayed behind to explain that now that the resistance was aware that Voltron was truly an ally, they would be working double time to try and get in contact with the rest of Shiro’s team. It was obvious that the others would be worried about Shiro, and that they needed to let everyone know that he was alright. Matt himself was personally working on the programming for an encrypted message that they would send out across the galaxy, hoping that the message would reach the Castle of Lions and be heard.

Shiro just hoped that there _was_ still a Castle of Lions to receive the message. Considering that the last time he had seen everyone they were in the middle of a desperate battle…maybe his team weren’t the only ones who needed reassurance that he was alive.

When he was finally able to get up and walk on his own, Matt showed up in his room with a bag slung over his shoulder and a grin on his face. “You’re bunking with me,” he told Shiro simply, as if it was obvious. It probably was, when Shiro thought about it. They were the only humans on base, and everyone knew they were…’mates’ was the term he’d most often heard. It only made sense to room together.

After L’oft gave him one final check-up, Shiro followed Matt out of the infirmary and into the warren-like hallways of the resistance base, leaning heavily against Matt’s arms whenever he grew tired or stumbled. Although every single corridor looked the same to Shiro, Matt led him confidently through the base until he reached a wing with a series of doors spaced out evenly along the wall. Matt stopped in front of the fourth door down on the right, and held up his hand to the pad next to the entrance. A beam of light scanned his palm and, after the pad beeped cheerfully, the door opened with a hiss.

“We’ll have to get your biometrics programmed into the door scanner,” Matt said offhandedly as he gestured Shiro forward into his quarters. “But I figure you probably want to get set up first.”

Shiro glanced around the space, taking it in with wide eyes. Matt’s quarters were some strange mishmash of a spaceship’s storage closet, a college dorm, and the paladin rooms back on the Castle of Lions. The walls were bare metal, and there were piles of scrap and wires on practically every surface, but Matt had also collected a bunch of pillows and blankets to make the space seem more cozy. They stood in a front entranceway with a tiny closet full of ratty coveralls to their left. The entranceway opened into a small sitting area, with a large pile of pillows and blankets around a low table instead of a couch or chairs. The arrangement sort of reminded Shiro of his kotatsu back home, which he momentarily felt a pang of longing for. Beyond the sitting area was a space that Shiro assumed was the kitchenette, though none of the appliances looked anything like he’d seen on Earth. Most of the counter was taken up by scrap anyways – Matt’s ongoing projects, Shiro assumed. Past the kitchenette was a hallway that had two doors at the end. Shiro could sort of see a bed covered in piles of blankets through the one door that was cracked open, and he guessed the other led to some sort of bathroom.

“It’s not much,” Matt told Shiro, looking around the cramped space with a touch of embarrassment. “But it’s been home for me for a while. And…now it’s home for you too. For now, anyways. If you want it.”

Shiro looked around the quarters and the mess everywhere. The ratty blankets, the devices half-finished covering every free inch of space, the dim lighting, and the messy bed. It reminded Shiro so much of the dorm room that he and Matt had shared back in second year that it _hurt_. All it needed was that one cactus that just _wouldn’t die_ no matter how much they forgot to care for it, and it would practically be the same place.

“It’s perfect,” Shiro said sincerely.

Matt’s face broke into a wide grin, and he pulled Shiro by the hand further into the room. “Welcome to the resistance, Shiro. Welcome _home_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all probably know this already, but as always, my tumblrs are at [ikiracake](http://ikiracake.tumblr.com/) and [i-see-london-i-see-klance](http://i-see-london-i-see-klance.tumblr.com/). Come say hi! And feel free to send me more Shatt ideas :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here be the sexy times, enjoy! :D

They’d shared a bed before. They’d shared a bed many times. And on the flight to Kerberos, there hadn’t been a whole lot of personal space. But for some reason, as he and Matt climbed into Matt’s bed that night, Shiro could feel his heart rate picking up, his nerves tingling like electricity was running just under his skin.

_You’re being silly_ , he told himself. _Why are you getting so worked up? It’s just_ Matt.

Just Matt. Who happened to be his husband now. Or fiancé. Or mate. Whatever; Matt who was his _something_ now that he hadn’t been before.

God, they hadn’t even _kissed_.

The thought got stuck in his head, and he ended up lying there on his back, with Matt curled up beside him, staring up at the ceiling. The ceiling was exposed ductwork, pipes and wires criss-crossing in every direction, but even that wasn’t enough to distract him from his own mind. They hadn’t kissed yet. They haven’t kissed.

And Shiro really, _really_ wanted to kiss Matt all of the sudden.

He slowly turned his head towards Matt, and stiffened a little when he saw eyes watching him in the darkness. It looked like he wasn’t the only one still awake.

“Can’t sleep?” Matt whispered.

“No. You?” Shiro whispered back.

“I keep thinking the second I close my eyes, you’re going to vanish,” Matt admitted quietly. “Like I’ll wake up, and it’ll have all been a dream.”

Shiro’s heart clenched painfully, and he reached for Matt without thinking, wrapping his arms around Matt’s waist and drawing him closer. “I’m right here, Matt. I’m not going anywhere.”

Matt moved with Shiro easily, burying his face into Shiro’s chest and clutching at the old ratty shirt Shiro had been given to wear. “I know,” he said, his voice muffled by the fabric. “But I can’t help it. I was so sure you were dead for so long.”

“I’m fine,” Shiro reassured him. “I promise, I’m fine. I’m right here.”

Matt’s head came up, and Shiro watched Matt’s eyes trail over his face in the dim light coming from the sitting room lamp that they’d left on. He held still, letting Matt look for as long as he wanted, suddenly acutely aware that their bodies were pressed against each other from shoulders to knees. Every time he breathed in he could feel it being echoed as Matt’s chest rubbed against him, and every time he breathed out, Matt’s own breath tickled his face. They were breathing in synch, he was shocked and pleased to notice.

“I love you,” Matt whispered suddenly into the darkness, like a secret, like an oath. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Shiro responded, almost breathless. They were so close, staring into each other’s eyes, their noses brushing against each other. “I…”

He trailed off as Matt’s gaze became more hooded. “Shiro,” Matt murmured, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. Shiro’s breathing stuttered for a moment, before it resumed at a slightly faster pace.

“Yes?” Shiro asked.

“Kiss me?” Matt’s face was even closer now, his lips barely brushing against Shiro’s. His hands were still resting on Shiro’s chest, right over his heart, and they curled a little, clinging.

“Yes,” Shiro breathed, and then he moved forward that tiniest bit more and pressed their lips together. He meant it to just be a simple kiss, a gentle kiss, considering it was their first, but almost immediately one of Matt’s hands came up and buried itself in Shiro’s hair, and tiny whimper escaped Matt’s lips, and Shiro just couldn’t help himself.

He pushed forward, rolling Matt onto his back. Matt went willingly, eagerly, still clutching at Shiro’s hair to keep them from breaking their kiss. They started kissing harder, more frantically, and Shiro’s arms tightened around Matt’s waist to pull him closer while Matt’s free hand began running along Shiro’s back. As they grew more frantic, Shiro started to lose his breath, still weak from his time in the void of space, and he had to pull away in order to take in more air.

“No, don’t stop,” Matt whined, his hands trailing over Shiro’s chest and shoulders. “Why did you stop?”

“Just needed to catch my breath,” Shiro admitted, panting slightly. “This is…we are…are we…are we really going to…?”

“Yes,” Matt said, nodding frantically. “Whatever the hell you were about to say, yes. To all of it.”

“Isn’t this a bit fast?” Shiro hated bringing it up, but one of them had to be the voice of reason, and he’d long grown used to that position after being the leader of the paladins of Voltron. “I mean, we’ve never even been on a real date.”

“Shiro, we used to hang out and go to dinner and the movies and stuff like that all the time back on Earth,” Matt huffed, raising himself up on his elbows so he could face Shiro properly and glare. “I’m pretty sure we can retroactively call that dating if it bugs you so much.”

“But – ”

“Shiro,” Matt cut him off, exasperated. His hair was in disarray, his skin flushed all the way down his chest, breathing heavily, with a small tent growing in his pants. He looked absolutely ravished and turned on, but he still somehow managed to look Shiro dead in the eye and say clearly, “If you don’t want to do anything else, that’s fine, just say so. But _I’ve_ been waiting for this moment since the second we got married, and if you’re making me wait even _longer_ for my wedding night just because of some misplaced sense of chivalry or something, by god I will _smack_ you.”

“I…uh,” Shiro stuttered, unable to come up with a response to that.

Matt’s expression softened, and he reached up to cup Shiro’s face. “Seriously, though. If you want to stop, we can stop. No pressure.”

“I don’t want to stop,” Shiro blurted out. Then, shaking his head and telling himself to _get a grip_ already, he tried again. “I honestly don’t want to stop. I just wanted to make sure we were both on the same page. This is…kind of a big deal.”

“I promise, Shiro. _Takashi_ ,” Matt murmured Shiro’s name like a prayer, holding Shiro’s face in both hands now and pressing their foreheads together. “We are definitely on the same page. I want this. I want you. I love you.”

Then he leaned forward and kissed Shiro softly, just like Shiro had meant their first kiss to be. After they drew apart, Matt continued to kiss Shiro, making his way across his jawline, down his neck, along his shoulders. Shiro let out a little hiss as Matt started nibbling and sucking at his collarbone, the sensation sending jolts of pleasure and arousal down to his groin. His dick twitched in his sleep pants, which he was sure Matt had noticed, based on the pleased little hum he made.

“Ah,” Shiro breathed as Matt came back up, nibbling at his earlobe. “Matt…”

“Shhh,” Matt shushed him gently. “You’re still recovering. Let me take care of everything.” And then he pushed and pulled and prodded at Shiro until Shiro rolled over, lying flat on his back, shirtless and staring up at Matt straddling him. The way Matt was looking down at him was practically _predatory_ , and Shiro felt himself flush even as his cock started to swell further.

“You have no idea how long I’ve dreamed about this,” Matt murmured, absently running his hands over Shiro’s chest. His fingertips occasionally caught on the web of scars that covered Shiro’s skin, mostly souvenirs from his time in the ring, but a few from his fights as the Black Paladin, and Shiro felt himself start to get nervous, but Matt didn’t seem to linger over any of them. He just touched them like they were any other part of Shiro’s body, and Shiro couldn’t help but feel grateful for that. He’d never liked his scars.

“You did?” Shiro couldn’t help but ask, shivering as Matt’s exploring hands brushed over his nipples, before trailing down his stomach.

Matt hummed in acknowledgement. “For years,” he confessed. “Years, and years, and years.”

All of Shiro’s air left him in a whoosh; he felt like he’d been punched. He had sort of guessed that Matt had liked him for a while, considering the way Sam had reacted when they got married in the prison cell, but he had no idea it had been _that_ long. “God, Matt.”

Matt didn’t respond to him, merely shifting back a little so that he could start pulling Shiro’s pants down over his hips. Shiro gasped a little, caught off guard, but he quickly raised his hips up to help, biting his lips when his cock sprang free from the constricting fabric. Matt stared down at him with wide eyes, pupils blown wide.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Matt said, sounding dazed. His hands rested on Shiro’s hips, so close to where Shiro wanted them, but not close enough. Shiro fought the urge to whine, instead reaching out for Matt’s groin.

“Me neither,” he murmured, slipping his hand down the waistband of Matt’s pants. But before he could get too far, Matt smacked his hand away. “Hey!”

“No,” Matt said firmly. “Remember? I’m taking care of _you_ now.”

Before Shiro could protest, he rose up on his knees, pushing his own pants down just far enough to free his own cock, and then he settled back down across Shiro’s legs. “Now,” he said, his voice a little shaky. “This is…this is the first time, so we shouldn’t do anything… _too_ much, right?”

“Right,” Shiro agreed quickly, resting his hands on Matt’s bare hips and letting his thumbs tease the soft skin above Matt’s thighs. “Right, just…something easy.”

“Right. Exactly.” Matt took a deep breath, his eyes slipping closed. “Let’s just…” And then he reached out and wrapped his hand around both of their cocks.

Shiro hissed at the sudden contact, and instinctively bucked. “Oh. Okay, yeah, I like this plan. Let me...um.” He paused for a moment, considering which hand to use, before eventually settling on his right. Although the feeling of his Galra hand against his cock had always been strange to him, it wasn’t a _bad_ feeling per se, and besides, he was right handed. He wanted to make sure this felt good.

His decision made, he wrapped his Galra hand around their cocks as well, gently squeezing. The feeling of the cool metal against their heated flesh sent tingles running down his spine.

“ _God_ ,” Matt wheezed, his hips jerking forward and into their joined grip. “Oh god, yeah, that’s…yeah that’s good.”

“Yeah,” Shiro said breathlessly, and then he began to move his hand, picking up a rhythm slowly. Matt did his best to mimic him, and once he seemed to catch on, he sped up, taking over and controlling the pace. The contrast of Shiro’s metal hand compared to Matt’s warm flesh one moving over their shafts was exquisite torture, and Shiro groaned, throwing his head back and arching his neck.

Matt wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity like that, and so he swooped down, carefully keeping up the speed of his hand jerking them, and started licking and sucking at Shiro’s exposed skin, dragging his teeth across Shiro’s pulse point. Shiro gasped and squirmed, his free hand coming up to clutch at Matt’s back, nails sinking into skin.

“Ngh, S-shiro,” Matt hissed, “Shit, just…hang on, let me – ” He cut himself off as he suddenly let go of their cocks, leaning back a little bit. Shiro had only a second to mourn the loss, though, because then his eyes went wide as Matt brought his hand up to his mouth, licking a long wet stripe up his palm, getting it nice and slick with spit. Then he brought his hand back down, wrapping it more firmly around the two of them, and giving a languid stroke. “That’s better,” he said with a cocky smirk, though the effect was slightly ruined by how hard he was breathing.

“You’re a genius,” Shiro moaned, his eyes rolling back a little as the new slick made their hands glide more smoothly over their shafts.

Together they sped up the pace, stroking themselves faster and faster, Shiro’s thumb catching on the heads with each stroke. The room was filled with the sounds of sex, breathless moans, creaking bedsprings, and the wet noise of their hands jerking over their cocks. Shiro’s Galra fingers suddenly tightened around their shafts the tiniest bit, squeezing them closer together, and Matt’s hips jerked forward reflexively in response. Shiro swore, and so Matt did it again, fucking up into their fists and making Shiro thrash beneath them. The combination of the friction of their hands over his dick and Matt thrusting against him was making Shiro reach the edge a whole lot sooner than he would have liked, but Matt looked too blissed out to care.

Still, he had to warn him. “Matt,” Shiro grunted, struggling to get enough air into his lungs so that he could speak. “Matt, I’m gonna cum soon.”

“Good,” Matt responded, equally breathless. He smiled down at Shiro with half-lidded eyes and bit his lip. “I’m close too. So close.”

“Y-yeah,” Shiro moaned, feeling his climax approaching like an oncoming train. “Just, just don’t stop. Don’t…stop, ah, yes! Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop, dontstop dontstopdontstop – AH!”

Shiro’s mind went blank as his orgasm hit him, his back arching and his free hand clenching at Matt’s thigh so hard he must be leaving bruises. He didn’t know if he made a noise, if he’d screamed or sighed or just come silently, his pulse too loud in his ears to hear anything else. He saw stars.

When he finally came down from his high, it was to find Matt bent over him, one hand braced on Shiro’s shoulder, the other still wrapped around their cocks. His hand, as well as Shiro’s belly, was covered in a sticky white mess, and he was breathing like he’d just run a marathon. As Shiro watched, a little bit more cum leaked out of the tip of Matt’s dick; he’d only just finished then, following Shiro right over the edge.

They stayed there for a moment, frozen, struggling to get their breathing back under control and their heart rates back to normal. And then Matt released their cocks and leaned back with a groan, pushing his sweaty bangs away from his face with his clean hand.

“Wow,” Shiro said, summing up the experience for both of them.

Matt laughed, struggling to get out of bed without spreading the mess everywhere or falling over on his shaky legs. “Yes, wow is right.”

“How was that for a wedding night?” Shiro joked as Matt moved towards the bathroom. He heard Matt snort, immediately followed by the sound of running water, and then a few seconds later Matt returned with a wet cloth that he used to wipe up the mess they’d created.

Only after Matt had disposed of the cloth and returned to bed, snuggling up against Shiro’s chest, did he actually repeat the question. “How _was_ that for a wedding night? Was it okay? Was it…what you wanted?”

Matt shuffled them around until he was lying with his head on Shiro’s chest, Shiro’s arm wrapped around him. “Mmm, yes it was,” he said sleepily, nuzzling against Shiro’s side. “It was perfect.”

“Good.” Shiro felt a tension he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying ease out of him, leaving him relaxed and sleepy. “That’s good.”

“And you know what the best part is?” Matt added.

“Hmm?”

“We can do that whenever we want now. Because we’re married.” Shiro couldn’t see his face from the way they were laying, but he could _hear_ the smug little smile in Matt’s voice.

“You’re right,” Shiro agreed slowly, sleepily, his own happy smile spreading across his lips. “You’re absolutely right. I knew you were a genius.”

“Of course I am. Now. Sleep, Shiro,” Matt murmured.

And so he did.  

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all probably know this already, but as always, my tumblrs are at [ikiracake](http://ikiracake.tumblr.com/) and [i-see-london-i-see-klance](http://i-see-london-i-see-klance.tumblr.com/). Come say hi! And feel free to send me more Shatt ideas :D


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